Horowitz also served as general manager of Capitol Racing, which operated Cal Expo’s harness racing for several years and built the meet into a night-racing mainstay.

“It is impossible to overstate Alan’s importance to the harness racing industry in California,” said CHHA president David Neumeister. “Simply put, if it were not for Alan, the sport would no longer exist in this state.

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“Against all odds and some very powerful adversaries, Alan almost single-handedly took us from the brink of extinction in the mid-’90s and formed and led Capitol Racing in Sacramento to several very successful years of harness racing (at Cal Expo),” Neumeister added. “Were it not for his quiet determination and tactical brilliance, we would not be racing here today.”

The Horowitz Memorial, which will be run as the eighth race, attracted a full field of 10 pacers including favorites Fly Away and Scary Harry. First post is 6:10 p.m. Saturday with the Horowitz Memorial expected to start at about 8:30 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For more details, click on www.calxharness.com.